


Mass Effect 2019 Prompts

by SerenityFalconNormandy



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alchera, Collector Attack on the Normandy, F/M, Healthy Relationships, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2020-01-07 14:37:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18412658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerenityFalconNormandy/pseuds/SerenityFalconNormandy
Summary: Prompts written throughout 2019 in my Mass Effect Canon.





	1. Dream a Little Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: “I had a nightmare about you and I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
> 
> Jehanne has a nightmare during the events of ME3, one that's very different from her previous ones.

_ The murky, oily shadows crept around her as she chased the child through the forest. Whispers called to her, Ashley and Jenkins, Pressley and others from the past. When she finally caught up this time, she wasn’t the one kneeling next to him… them. _

 

_ The child was different, no longer the little boy from Vancouver. This one was androgynous, with thick black hair, hazel eyes, and a smattering of freckles. Their arms were looped around Kaidan’s neck, leaning into his chest like a shy child meeting someone new for the first time. Standing up, Kaidan smiled, child held to him as he reached out and said, “Shepard. Jehanne.” _

 

_ Jehanne lifted her hand ready to lay it in his.  _

 

_ A Reaper’s horn sounded, and the terrible red beam vaporised them as she opened her mouth to scream. It was swallowed by the sizzling hiss. _

 

* * *

 

She jerked, sending her datapad clattering to the floor. Jehanne floundered in the couch for a moment, the horn still ringing in her ears. Pressing a hand to her chest, she sucked in deep breaths, trying to slow the racing of her pulse. Fucking nightmares.

 

Standing, she padded her way to the tiny private bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. It helped, but still she ended up leaning her head on the edge of the sink, gulping air and holding back the bile that rose in her throat. Raising her head and looking at her reflection, Jehanne took in the sunken sockets of her eyes. The nightmares were getting worse, and consequently, she was getting far less restful sleep. 

 

Ever since Vancouver, they’d plagued her. Not being able to protect that little boy… then Kaidan getting hurt on Mars… It was all piling up, and she couldn’t take any time to talk to anyone, even Chakwas, about how much pressure she was under. Everything was on her shoulders, because no one would listen to her or help humanity unless she did the entire song and fucking Broadway musical for them. 

 

Jehanne let out a small sob before sucking it in and straightening. None of them could afford for her to break down. She’d just lost so much. She didn’t know where her mother or father were at, Anderson was stuck in a rapidly worsening battle on Earth, Thane was dead. The one comfort she had was that Kaidan was relatively safe at the moment, as were her closest friends, safe on the Normandy with her. The fucking nightmares were starting to take that comfort away along with her sleep.

 

She needed to see Kaidan, reassure herself he was okay for now, at least. He’d be asleep at this time of the night cycle, but she could peek through the Starboard Obs lounge door and that would work. Jehanne dug into her drawers and pulled out the oversized, ancient N7 sweatshirt she’d earned in Rio. The entire crew knew when she was wearing the sweatshirt, it meant ‘off-duty, do not talk to me unless you have coffee/something’s on fire/someone’s bleeding’. She slid it on over her sleep tank and shorts, and shoved her cold toes into slippers. 

 

Jehanne’s jaw cracked as she yawned. She might stop by the mess on the way to get tea to help her get back to sleep. Snagging her mug and shuffling into the elevator, she yawned out, “EDI, take me to the crew quarters.”

 

“Are you alright, Shepard? I don’t observe your quarters visually anymore per your request, but some of the audio was… concerning.”

 

“It’s fine.”

 

“Shepard.”

 

Jehanne sighed. “Nightmares, EDI. Not really anything I can do about it.”

 

“Understood. I could schedule an appointment with Dr. Chakwas if your battle efficiency drops as a result.”

 

“I’d rather not, she’s got enough on her mind right now.”

 

The AI let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a frustrated sigh. “If you’re sure, Shepard.”

 

“Yep.”

 

Even though she knew logically EDI could just follow her around via the ship’s intercom, Jehanne scuttled from the elevator to the mess to escape. Mug of mint tea in hand, she tottered sleepily to the Starboard Obs lounge, waving for it to open. There was a vaguely Kaidan-shaped lump on the couch, his shoulders moving as he breathed. She let out a soft sigh. He was okay. He was alive. Time to go back to her quarters and attempt to get some sleep. 

 

She choked on the sip of tea she was taking when Kaidan spoke, “Shepard?”

 

He swung up from the couch, blanket wrapped around his shoulders, “Hey, Jehanne, you okay?”

 

“Fine,” she rasped out, coughing and holding her mug to the side to keep it from spilling, “I expected you to be asleep.”

 

“Forgot I’m a light sleeper, didn’t you?” He took the mug from her and led her to the couch. “You, on the other hand, usually sleep through everything short of a Reaper attack to wake you up. What are you doing up at this time of night?” 

 

Jehanne looked at him for a moment before she sat down, tucking her knees under her chin. She didn’t know how long either of them had left, and after Thane, she didn’t have time to dance around or bullshit. Besides, playing ‘guess what’s in my head’ wasn’t her style in any case. “I had a nightmare about you and I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

 

Kaidan’s brows rose in surprise. “About me?”

 

“Yeah. I’ve had some recurring nightmares… a dark forest, oily shadows, whispering. Sometimes I hear Ash. Usually I dream about a kid I couldn’t save in Vancouver… but tonight, it was you. And I watched you die in a Reaper beam.”

 

Mentioning the child, the one of her mind’s creation that was hers and Kaidan’s, didn’t feel right. Now was not the time to discuss that, with the galaxy falling apart around them. Between his shots and the settings on her cybernetics, they didn’t have to worry about any unplanned discussions. 

 

“Shit.” He set the mug down, and removed the blanket from his shoulders before sitting next to her. “Wanna cuddle up?” 

 

“Yeah, I do.”

 

She leaned into him, forehead against his neck. Kaidan draped the blanket across the two of them and pulled her close. “I promise, Jehanne, I’ll do whatever I can to keep your nightmare from coming true. Until we win this thing, I’ll be by your side to prove that to you.”


	2. Gone Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Ring
> 
> The Mass Effect 2 opening scene.

Jehanne was grumpy, just barely awake and dressed in her armor when the Normandy’s comm exploded with noise.

 

“Brace for evasive maneuvers!” Joker’s voice rang through the elevator car.

 

She didn’t even have time to react before she was thrown into the wall with a loud crunch. Cursing, she picked herself up and took in the situation. The doors had popped open, as they were programmed to in this type of situation, leaving her with just enough room to get down on the floor and shimmy out. Kneeling and peaking out, she saw fires and bodies.

 

“Shit.”

 

Jehanne sat down and scooted herself forward, toes stretching towards the floor as she slid free of the elevator. Landing with a resounding thud, she took off running as soon as she had her balance. Pausing just for a second next to her armor rack, she grabbed one of her N7 helmets without looking then dashed off again towards the distress beacon. Years of training took over, keeping her on her feet as the deck shuddered under her feet, throwing less-fortunate crew members to the unforgiving floor. The fires were creeping towards the beacon station and her sinuses and lungs began to burn from the smoke. Quickly, she punched in her codes and authorizations to prime the beacon.

 

As she slid the helmet on to protect her from the heat and smoke, Kaidan’s voice rang out behind her. “Shepard!”

 

Seals hissing closed, she stated over the Normandy comm, “Distress beacon is ready for launch.”

 

Behind her, Kaidan asked through his helmet comm, “Will the Alliance get here in time?”

 

_ Fuck, I don’t know. We’re out in a barely-populated arm of the Terminus Systems… but gotta sound confident for anyone who might be listening.  _ Another explosion rocked the ship, hurtling Kaidan forward into her arms. They clacked into the beacon station, wrapped around each other in a vicious parody of the way they had been embracing mere hours before. A shiver ran through her as their biotic fields combined momentarily. Settling each other back on their feet, Jehanne switched to the interpersonal comm and said calmly, “They’ll be here. The Alliance won’t abandon us.”

 

She grabbed a fire extinguisher. It was a case of too little, too late as she looked down the hall, but it should help them make way to the escape shuttles. 

 

“We just need to hold on.” 

 

Taking a look, Jehanne felt the urge to do a quick sweep, just to make sure she wasn’t leaving anyone to go down with the Normandy. It would be a brutal death, and she couldn’t bring herself to abandon anyone to that fate. She tossed the extinguisher to Kaidan then began working at one of the wall panels, sending the evac order throughout the ship and tracking all personnel to ensure that those still alive were able to get to the shuttles. “Get everyone onto the escape shuttles!”

 

“Joker’s still in the cockpit,” he shouted over the noise of the extinguisher, clearing the way for them. “He won’t abandon ship. I’m not leaving either.”

 

_ Dammit Joker.  _ Of course he wouldn’t leave. Stomach dropping, and the awful little voice in the back of her head hissing about the reason frat regs existed, Jehanne turned back to Kaidan. No way was she letting him risk himself for their stubborn pilot. Rounding on him, she yelled, “There’s no time to argue. I need you to get the crew onto the evac shuttles. I’ll take care of Joker.”

 

Turning towards the bridge, an exhaust pipe gave way in front of her and threw her back a few steps.

 

“Commander!” The distress in his voice wasn’t an XO for a Commander, but that of someone terrified for the person they loved.

 

“Kaidan, go! Now.” Her heart was in her throat as she set the final sequence to launch the distress beacon and prep the escape shuttles.

 

“Aye, aye.” 

 

Jehanne closed her eyes and let out a long breath as she listened to Kaidan’s boots pound away from her. She slapped the beacon launch, then pulled up the crew list on her HUD as she made her way to the cockpit.  _ Shit. _ The number of names in red made her want to scream.  _ Goddammit, Pressley… Shit, Ros and Tal too.  _ The Draven twins, assigned to the Normandy because the two of them bouncing off of each other were better than a computer when it came to maintaining the weapons system, had been Mindoir survivors. Angry tears burned behind her eyes as she ran through the flames, shielding her eyes from the brightness. 

 

Names changed from silver to gold as they entered the shuttles, reassuring her that Chakwas and Adams were safe. Jehanne bit back another angry curse as Grenado’s name went from silver to red when another explosion echoed through the ship. She couldn’t, however, stop the sigh of relief when Kaidan’s name went gold. Only Joker’s name was silver, so it was just the two of them left.

 

The Normandy rocked continuously under her feet, and Joker’s distress calls echoed through the now-empty ship. Charging up the stairs to the bridge, Jehanne let out a yelp as the doors opened and the cabin decompressed. The mags in her boots kicked in, allowing her to make her slow, clunking way towards the sealed-off cockpit. Chairs blown free of the floor in the initial attack floated eerily in the walkway, and she palmed them out of the way. Even at this speed, if Joker bumped into one, it could mean a life-threatening fracture. There was no telling when they could get him medical help if that happened. Weight returned to her limbs as she breached the mass effect field shielding Joker from the vacuum, making her biotics and amp tingle. 

 

“Come on, Joker, we have to get out of here.”

 

“No, I won’t abandon the Normandy! I can still save her!” The way he spoke, he might as well have been dating or married to the damn ship. Even the quickest glance would tell him that it was a lost cause.

 

_ Fucking stubborn asshole... _ “Don’t throw your life away. The Normandy’s lost. Going down with the ship won’t change that.”

 

He looked at the control panel, jaw working as he ran a loving hand over it. Joker’s whole body slumped a little. 

 

“Yeah, okay. Help me up.”

 

A flicker of golden light through the windshield caught both of their attention. 

 

“They’re coming around for another attack!”

 

Her heart leapt into her throat as the beam of light smashed into the husk of the Normandy. They had to go, now. Jehanne grabbed Joker’s arm, bile rising in her throat as she felt the bones crunch in her grip and he let out an exclamation of pain. She hustled him easily in the weightless space between the cockpit and bridge escape shuttle waiting for him to catch himself in the shuttle’s gravity before letting go. The beam set off something near them, flinging her away from the hatch and towards the on-board deployment panel, and she slammed into the wall.

 

Joker was yelling for her, and she slammed the panel to close the hatch and send him to safety. Her N7 training had included emergency procedure if you were spaced. The concentrated oxygen tanks in her suit would keep her going for at least a few hours, and the bridge escape shuttle VI would hold in the planetary atmosphere until it could safely pick her up. Going limp, she let herself float away reminding herself to stay calm. Conserving oxygen was the most important thing.

 

The beam slicing through the ship was morbidly beautiful. Suddenly, light bloomed and Jehanne was slammed into the wall so hard it made her ears ring before she went spinning out of the ship’s remains. It’d hit the air exchange tanks for the bridge. The final explosion made her eyes water with grief, even as the ringing slowly faded into a slow hiss. Her heart pounded in her ears. One of the oxygen lines was compromised, or one of the seals must have broken when the explosion had thrown her. There wouldn’t be time for the escape shuttle to find her - not alive anyway. She was going to die. 

 

Jehanne activated the suit’s outbound comm channel, hooked to the escape pods’ internal comms as she began to panic, grasping desperately at the lines and seals, a last ditch attempt to keep herself alive. Her HUD flashed, letting her know the inbound comm receiver was unresponsive. Letting out a broken sob, her voice was hoarse as she spoke.

 

“I’m so sorry.”

 

* * *

 

Kaidan watched the crew list on his HUD like a hawk, waiting for Jehanne and Joker’s names to go gold. Occasionally, the spin of the shuttle allowed everyone inside to see the wreck of the Normandy. The viewport went bright from the deadly golden beam slicing the ship to shreds, and his heart started to pound when Joker went from silver to gold, but Shepard’s didn’t change. When the concussive wave of the Normandy exploding rocked the shuttle, he reminded himself, panic rising, that Jehanne was trained for this. She would be picked up by the bridge shuttle, and they’d be waiting for her and Joker on the surface of the planet. 

 

Then the shuttle comm crackled on.

 

“I’m so sorry.” 

 

Her voice was hoarse, and broke on the ‘sorry’. Dr. Chakwas went white as they all heard the loud hiss in the background. Suit breach. Kaidan activated the officer’s comm channel through his helmet. Only Shepard and he should be on the channel, none of the other officers had been suited and helmeted when they got in the shuttles.

 

“Jehanne! Jehanne, don’t panic. The bridge shuttle will get you, you only need a few minutes for the debris to clear enough for it to come get you. Please…”

 

His breath caught in his throat. He needed to believe this was true. 

 

“Just keep your breathing steady for me, let me know you’re okay by signalling.” There was no response, just Shepard’s breathing getting louder and louder in the shuttle, until they heard struggling gasps.  

 

The gasping petered out, leaving them all in stunned silence. Moments passed, and Chakwas let out a sob as the hardsuit’s VI began broadcasting the high-pitched whine of a distress signal. The harsh squeal cut off as Kaidan shut down the comm line. The spot in his mind where that strange connection to Jehanne lived, the one that had developed shortly after Feros, went blank. Seconds later, it went cold and sent a bolt of agony through his head, worse than any migraine he’d ever had.

 

Inside his helmet, all alone, he screamed, a wordless noise of pain.

 

She was gone.


End file.
